5 Cash-Burning Stocks to Extinguish From Your Portfolio

If you own any of these names, I'd recommend pulling out the fire extinguisher for your portfolio.

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The past few years have presented a challenging environment for TiVo ( TIVO). The firm that pioneered the DVR has seen the value of its shares get halved from their 2010 highs, after ongoing legal drama promised to change the firm's fortunes and then reversed again.

I almost don't like adding TiVo to this list. in a way, it's sort of like kicking a company while it's down. But there's a silver lining to be had in this stock.

First of all, TiVo is burning cash. The firm's annualized burn rate comes in at an annualized $114 million. While cash balances increased dramatically after a series of legal settlements that will provide a series of payments through 2018, the firm is still fixing a hole in its gas tanks by dumping a bunch of gas into them. Once that supply runs out, investors will be out of luck. And that's a real problem given the bargain price that TiVo is trading for.

Net of debt, the firm's cash position and locked-in legal payouts cover the majority of TiVo's market capitalization. So assuming that the firm's remaining business is worth anything, investors are getting a bargain. Management just needs to shed unproductive products and start returning some of those huge cash reserves to shareholders.

While I'd recommend getting rid of TiVo before management spends all of its loot, this stock does have turnaround potential if the powers that be can figure out an effective way to plug the profitability holes and give the company's owners some of that cash.